


support on both sides

by popnographic



Series: Rarepair drabbles [25]
Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7116598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popnographic/pseuds/popnographic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gou feels like her stubbornness to not show her boyfriends what she really feels might be interpreted as her not trusting them.<br/>Sousuke knows that isn't the case.<br/>Haruka wants to show Gou that they're there for her no matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	support on both sides

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sierra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sierra/gifts), [ishka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishka/gifts).



> talked to [bee](http://iskabee.tumblr.com) the other day about writing a souharugou, and man i rewrote this five times but i was DETERMINED to finish it. [sierra](http://sierrasuke.tumblr.com) also convinced me that GODdamn does this tag need to actually exist on this site so hey. (i mean, how sad doesn't [this](http://i.imgur.com/4muPFCr.png) look?! really sad, that's the correct answer.)
> 
> SO. this is to the both of you. long live souharugou.

They’ve done this so many times over the years. Gone off to the airport, sitting through a car ride in dead silence before getting out to walk with Rin up until where they can no longer follow, and will have to turn back. Without him. No matter how many times they’ve done this, there’s really no such thing as getting used to saying goodbye for god knows how long.

Especially to your brother.

Gou always says she’s fine. And Haruka and Sousuke trust that she is, they don’t ever inquire unless she hasn’t told them she’s fine. She always does, and they always say they believe her, even if they deep down actually don’t. Maybe it’s a bit of her childish side showing through in that stubbornness to keep the façade up. Gou _is_ strong, both Haruka and Sousuke know that, but they know that her saying goodbye to Rin isn’t easy on her, even if she says she’s fine.

Haruka’s never seen Gou cry. Sousuke has, but the last time he did was just before he started high school, and he stupidly thought that _was_ the last time she cried.

Of course it wasn’t.

Sousuke nearly crashes into Haruka, who’s stopped near the doorway to the second bedroom. Haruka feels like his heart’s stopped; he hears his own, slow breathing, and his body won’t move. He can’t comfort her, he can’t be there for her, he can’t be _useful_ —

“Haruka,” Sousuke murmurs into his ear as he takes Haruka’s hand. But Haruka shakes his head, his body _finally_ listening to him. Maybe Sousuke’s voice was all he really needed.

“Let me go in.”

And Sousuke lets go. “Okay.”

Haruka takes a deep breath through his nose, exhales through his mouth, and slowly slides the door open to Gou’s room. She doesn’t seem to notice him at first, but then she turns her head to the side when Haruka sits down next to her, the bed dipping beneath their combined weight and giving him away if she hadn’t already noticed.

“Sorry,” Gou mumbles, frowning as she wipes at the tears that stubbornly keep falling. Haruka scoots closer, cautiously, and then he drapes an arm around her shoulders. Thankfully, she lets him, and she leans into him as well, sighing with a slight tremble.

“It’s okay, Gou.”

He knows she didn’t want the two of them know that even she breaks down every once in a while, so he doesn’t push his luck in talking too much. Not like he would, normally, but in a situation like this when all he wants is for his girlfriend to smile and be happy again, the thought is tempting.

“Why doesn’t Rin e-ever look sad about leaving?” she sobs silently. “Do you think h-he got used to it, and that it isn’t a big deal to him… anymore?”

Haruka chews on his lip, chooses his words carefully. This is the part he’s scared shitless of. Scared of saying something insensitive, even though his intent isn’t malicious. He’s scared of sounding like he doesn’t care enough, when the truth is that he probably cares too much.

“He didn’t get used to it; I know it isn’t easy on him.”

“How do you know?”

“We talk to him every now and then, right?” Haruka asks. “He always asks how everyone’s doing, but when you aren’t around, and it’s just me and Sousuke talking to him… he asks about you a lot, you and your mother. ‘What’s Gou up to, how’s Mum, how’s work going’. He does care.”

Gou relaxes her shoulders a bit with a trembling sigh, leaning on his shoulder. The area around her eyes is red and a bit puffy, but Haruka still finds her beautiful. He chooses not to say it, though, and instead wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

“I didn’t know that,” Gou says.

“He didn’t _want_ you to know. You’re more similar than you think.”

She laughs a little. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

It isn’t as if Gou wants Rin to come back home, to cancel his pursuit of happiness and success. She knows he needs this for himself in order to be able to come back to them and be the brother Gou loves, the boyfriend Makoto loves, and the best friend Sousuke and Haruka love—even though they rarely admit verbally how much they love him.

There’s a light knock on the door, and then Sousuke pokes his head in. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Gou says. She shakes her head, still smiling. “So much for keeping things from you two.”

“Why would you wanna?” Sousuke asks. He sits down on her other side and gives her a kiss atop her head.

“Guess it’s a mix of keeping what little pride I have, and just… not wanting to cause inconvenience.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes. “Forget you being similar to Rin, you’re similar to _Haruka_ , too. I’m starting to think I should be jealous.”

Haruka raises an eyebrow in half-hearted offence at Sousuke, but doesn’t say anything. Gou’s previously rigid posture has gone back to normal, and now her sobs have ebbed out as well. Haruka exhales slowly, feeling like maybe he didn’t _completely_ fail at comforting their girlfriend as he’d previously feared.

“Now,” Sousuke says, taking Gou’s hand to kiss the backside of it, “I want food. How about takeout?”

Gou rolls her eyes, and sits back up properly. “You know it’s your turn to cook tonight, Sou.”

“What if I pay for it? That still counts.”

“No it doesn’t,” his partners say in unison, and Sousuke sighs in defeat as he gets up on his feet, trudging out of the bedroom while muttering something incoherent. Haruka gives Gou’s shoulder a light squeeze.

“You doing better?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Thanks, Haru.”

They get off the bed to go out and join Sousuke in the kitchen while he cooks. Gou stops Haruka right outside the kitchen, taking his wrist.

“Probably a good idea if we don’t sleep in the same bed as him tonight. Did you hear him when he walked out? I don’t want him to kick my ass out of bed tonight.”

Haruka snorts. “I didn’t hear what he _said_ , but sure. I’ll sleep with you.”

“I heard that, traitors!” Sousuke yells from the kitchen, and Gou jumps, clutching Haruka’s wrist tighter.

“ _Jesus_ ,” Gou hisses. “Yeah, I’m not sleeping with him tonight.”

Haruka laughs, and leads her into the kitchen to keep their grump boyfriend company.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://radiodread.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> i usually write "dumblr" here these days but uh


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